Queen Elizabeth vows to protect LGBT community from discrimination

During an address to the UK Parliament on Wednesday, Queen Elizabeth II pledged to protect the LGBT community from discrimination.

"My government will make further progress to tackle the gender pay gap and discrimination against people on the basis of their race, faith, gender, disability or sexual orientation," she said during her annual "Queen's Speech."

The Queen's comments come after Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative Party failed to win a majority in parliament in the recent election, forcing a coalition with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of North Ireland, a conservative party staunchly opposed to marriage equality. Gay and lesbian couples in England, Wales and Scotland started exchanging vows in 2014. The DUP has blocked legislation legalizing such unions in Northern Ireland.

LGBT rights advocate Stonewall said in a statement given to Pink News that it was concerned that the Queen made no mention of protecting transgender individuals.

"While today's Queen's Speech understandably focused heavily on Britain's exit from the European Union, we were pleased to hear a clear acknowledgment that more must be done to tackle discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the next two years, alongside other forms of discrimination. But we are very concerned no mention was made of tackling discrimination based on gender identity," the group said.